As Amir Hekmati Sat in an Iranian Prison, Michigan Supporters Kept His Name in the News

By Scott Atkinson

Jan. 20, 2016

Image

Amir Hekmati in an undated photograph provided by his family.

FLINT, Mich. — After four and a half years in an Iranian prison, Amir Hekmati will return to a community where people he never knew fought to make sure the world knew his name.

Mr. Hekmati, 32, a Marine veteran who was the longest-held American among those released this past weekend by Iran, became something of a celebrity not only in his hometown, Flint, but also in Michigan communities hours away, which held rallies and made signs and bumper stickers reading “Free Amir.” “I am learning more about the grassroots support I received from ordinary people from across the world over the past four and a half years,” he said in a statement on Wednesday from an American military hospital in Germany, where he and two other former prisoners, Jason Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, were taken on Sunday for medical evaluations after harsh imprisonments on what their supporters have described as baseless charges. They are expected to return home in coming days.

“I wanted to take a moment to thank you for everything you have done to keep my name a part of the conversation and for the kindness and support that you have given my family during the darkest period of our lives,” Mr. Hekmati said. “God bless you all.”

One of those supporters was Terry Spencer, a Navy and Army National Guard veteran who served in the Persian Gulf. He said he had first heard of Mr. Hekmati’s arrest shortly after it happened and thought, “that was a bunch of garbage.” About a year later, he was sitting in a deer hunting blind, scrolling through news stories on his phone, when he saw another story about Mr. Hekmati and decided to do something.

Mr. Spencer owns a business in Bay City, about an hour’s drive north of Flint, and with his two sons painted a 3-foot-by-12-foot “Free Amir” sign on the side of the building. He got to know the Hekmati family and held rallies outside his business calling for Iran to free him.

“I really didn’t know what people would think about it,” he said of the sign. “When I went out there and did touch-ups I had people honking and waving and I can’t tell you how many times people would stop and get out and ask me what it was all about.” Representative Dan Kildee, the Michigan Democrat who represents Mr. Hekmati’s district and lives a mile from the family’s home, was particularly active in seeking his release. He said publicity in the United States had helped create pressure for the diplomatic deal that freed Mr. Hekmati and the others.

While Mr. Hekmati was not aware of the level of support for him, Mr. Kildee said, Iranian government officials were constantly made aware of it.

“They knew there was a public outcry, and that affected the way they looked at him and ultimately helped lead to his release,” Mr. Kildee said after returning from a trip to Germany to see Mr. Hekmati.

Fellow graduates of Flint Central High School collaborated via social media to spread the word about Mr. Hekmati’s imprisonment and call for his release.

One Central High alumna, Cathy Lancaster, who moved to northern Michigan two years ago but remained active in the movement, said she had been struck by how many of her new neighbors showed interest in Mr. Hekmati’s welfare.

At a recent Rotary Club meeting, she said a group mostly composed of retirees cheered when she told them that Mr. Hekmati’s sister and brother-in-law had attended President Obama’s latest State of the Union address.

Flint’s Mott Community College, where Mr. Hekmati’s father was a microbiology professor, held a fund-raiser for the family shortly after Amir Hekmati’s arrest in August of 2011 became public. The college’s choir director, Dr. Matthew Packer, even composed a song for Mr. Hekmati.

“They are a very gracious family,” said Amy Fugate, the college’s vice president for academic affairs.

Dayne Walling, who was the mayor of Flint when Mr. Hekmati was taken prisoner, said he was not surprised by the attention Mr. Hekmati’s situation had attracted. He said the city’s headline-making water contamination crisis and other problems may even have played a role in the outpouring of support for Mr. Hekmati.

“The Flint community faces so many local issues, that people see the connections between injustice being done around the world,” he said.